New discovery: Bacteria on the skin defeat cancer
Scientists at the University of California San Diego (USA) said they have discovered a type of bacteria on the skin that has the ability to protect the skin against cancer.
“We have identified S. epidermidis, a common staphylococcus bacteria found on healthy human skin, as having the potential to inhibit certain types of cancer,” wrote Professor Richard Gallo, MD, chair of the department of dermatology at the University of California San Diego, in a study recently published in the journal Science Advances.
“This bacterium produces a chemical that kills some types of cancer cells but is not toxic to normal cells,” said Gallo.
According to the research team, S. epidermidis produces a compound called 6-HAP, a molecule that can impair DNA synthesis and prevent the spread and growth of transformed cancer cells.
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| S. epidermidis bacteria growing on an agar plate. |
Experimental results showed that mice without 6-HAP when exposed to ultraviolet rays had more cancer cells than mice with this compound.
Mice injected with 6-HAP intravenously every 48 hours for two weeks showed no signs of toxicity, and when melanoma cells, the most dangerous type of skin cancer, were implanted, the size of these tumors was reduced by more than 50%.
“There is a lot of evidence that skin bacteria are an important component of human health. In fact, we have previously reported that some bacteria on human skin can produce antibacterial substances against pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus,” said Dr. Richard Gallo.
He added that S. epidermidis also appears to have anti-cancer properties. However, further research is needed to better understand how 6-HAP is produced and whether it can be used to prevent cancer or whether loss of 6-HAP increases cancer risk.
